Motion control cools off in 2005
Growth in the global motion control market fell back last year, due to a decline in the semiconductor machinery mark
et.
New data from IMS Research says that the worldwide market for motion controls grew by 6.2% in 2005, to reach $5.58 billion. In 2004, the industry had grown by 20%.
The Asia Pacific region saw the highest level of growth, with an estimated 11.5% expansion. In contrast, revenue growth was below 10% in EMEA, the Americas and Japan.
Despite the slump in semiconductor machinery production, overall the motion controls market was able to maintain a healthy growth rate in 2005. This can be partly attributable to strong gains in the packaging machinery sector, most notably in the Asia Pacific region.
Among product types, servo motors are expected to enjoy the highest growth in future.
“Replacement of hybrid steppers – which is fuelled by the wider availability of low cost servos – is expected to contribute the most growth stimulus to the servo market,” said Steve Lam, research analyst at IMS’s mechatronics group.
